Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez gave a terse response when requested a few former staffer’s congressional bid — refusing to have interaction on the name-dropping former aide, Saikat Chakrabarti, who’s splashed the Dem darling’s face throughout his marketing campaign advertisements.
Ocasio-Cortez was ambushed Monday by a reporter for DropSite who supplied her an opportunity to “clear up” rampant hypothesis about Chakrabarti, who was her chief of employees for roughly seven months in 2019 and is now working for Nancy Pelosi’s congressional seat.
“I’m simply not commenting on the race,” the Bronx congresswoman stated.
Saikrabarti has relentlessly bragged of his ties to Ocasio-Cortez, slapping her picture on marketing campaign fliers and taking credit score for penning “The Inexperienced New Deal,” a progressive wish-list that was voted down within the Home and Senate in 2019.
The 40-year-old tech centimillionaire, a Harvard grad and former Sen. Bernie Sanders organizer, has poured almost $5 million of his personal cash into his bid to exchange retiring Pelosi within the Home of Representatives.
“If there’s something I’ve realized from working with Bernie and AOC, it’s that you just simply must attempt,” Chakrabarti wrote on X in one in every of many mentions of Ocasio-Cortez on social media.
“Having labored with AOC, I can safely say she’s one in every of a sort. However I’d be honored to signify San Francisco in Congress and be part of AOC to construct a society that actually works for all,” Chakrabarti wrote in one other fawning X submit final yr.
Ocasio-Cortez’s obvious snub of her former aide and marketing campaign supervisor has fueled hypothesis about whether or not there was a falling out between the 2.
Chakrabarti turned a lighting rod throughout his seven-month tenure in Congress, accusing fellow Democrats of racism in incendiary tweets and slamming Pelosi — the highly effective then-Home Speaker — for “weak management,” based on media reviews.
Don Ford, a progressive activist who volunteered on Ocasio-Cortez’s 2018 marketing campaign for Congress, highlighted a 2019 Federal Election Fee investigation concentrating on Chakrabarti, who additionally based two progressive fundraising teams referred to as the Justice Democrats and Model New Congress.
Chakrabarti was probed for funneling round $1 million into personal corporations he managed. The feds closed the case with out penalties.
“The FEC investigated him, and it turned a Republican speaking level in opposition to AOC,” recalled Ford.
“He’s the final kind of particular person we wish in Congress. Dude, simply cease!”
Pressed by Drop Website to debate her relationship with Chakrabarti, Ocasio-Cortez frostily replied: “I’m simply not commenting on it in any respect.”
Chakrabarti didn’t reply to a request for remark about his former boss’ feedback.
The race to signify San Francisco congress has quickly turn into one of the vital costly on document.
Chakrabarti, whose web value has been pegged at round $200 million, has taken rivals to activity for accepting cash from companies as he pours hundreds of thousands of his private wealth into the hotly contested seat.
Different candidates are state Sen. Scott Wiener, metropolis Supervisor Connie Chan and lawyer Marie Hurabiell.
